Ryan Nelsen admits Queens Park Rangers must start to dig themselves out of a “horrible position”, starting with victory over fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

The Hoops were unable to find a winner in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in their last Premier League outing under new manager Harry Redknapp, leaving the Hoops rooted to the bottom of the table and without a victory in 15 attempts.

Nelsen was one of 12 summer signings at Loftus Road, but the New Zealand international does not believe QPR can look for excuses despite a number of poor performances which led to Mark Hughes’ sacking.

“Do we need time to gel? Nobody was saying anything like that in August when the players were being signed,” Nelsen told QPR’s website.

“We, as players, have to take responsibility for where we are. It’s as simple as that.

“It’s a horrible position that we’re in and we know it. We’ve got to dig ourselves out of it.”

He added: “In the position we’re in, we’re looking for wins but we are two games unbeaten now and we’ve just got to try and get that first victory.”

Nelsen was also critical of the Hoops’ defending against Villa. “Our heads didn’t drop when Villa scored and I don’t think Harry would ever let that happen,” Nelsen said. “It was disappointing to concede such a soft goal.

“For the rest of the match I felt we had all the good chances but that second goal just wouldn’t come for us.”